How Sebastian Grew To Know Love
by RinNoriko-chan
Summary: A story about how Sebastian's life was before Ciel and how he found love. OC X Sebastian.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

There was a time before a certain Ciel Phantomhive lived. A time where the man once known as Sebastian lived in the depths of Hell, waiting for a master and a good story takes place in that very time.

Chapter 1: The Butler, Beginning

I started the day by waking up to the roar of demons. Just like everyday. _Can't they be any quieter? A man needs his sleep. _ I hoped that I would get called to the human world soon, for I couldn't take anymore of this incessant noise. Surely there is a wretched human somewhere. But another _wretched _creature interrupted my thoughts.

"HELLO! GOOD MORNING~" The demon that sought me out every damn morning to scream into my ear yelled.

I rubbed my ear gingerly. "Do you have to do that every morning?" I asked.

He tilted his head and smiled. "Of course. And call me Wilfred. I like it better that way."

I sighed. "You know we don't have names, right?"

He stopped smiling for a second, and said softly, "That's what the last person that I took a soul from called me."

"Well, it's over then." I snapped. "Get your human sentiments out of the way. You are a demon."

He looked at me then. "You don't understand. But maybe you will one day."

I laughed then, at the ridiculousness of that statement. "Right, and demons will turn into angels. Goodbye sir, I have business to do."

He looked curious. "Like what?" He asked.

I grinned, showing my sharp teeth. "Soul hunting."

"No," He said softly as he watched me prepare my coat and things for a journey, "I don't think you'll ever understand."

I watched him leave, and finally get shrouded in the black mist that covers all of Hell. He really was an idiot. Demons don't care about humans, it's a rule. But I hoped he would be happy. That Wilfred.

I didn't really need anything to go to the human world, just the clothes on my back, my coat, and some weapons. I tucked away a sharp black dagger into my waist coat pocket. You can never be too careful. I walked out the door, and along the obsidian path I knew so well. I had lived in that house for several thousand years now. It would an insult to my abilities if I didn't. I kept going higher and higher, climbing to the roof of the underworld. It was here I'd be called to a human, if any. Their need would suffice to pull me outside Hell, to them.

I saw other demons waiting too, and hoped that I would be the one to get a human. It was pure luck for choosing which demon to go, and I didn't want to wait another day. I was simply starving. It had been a hundred human years since my last meal. And that one wasn't even that good. Too much darkness, not enough purity.

But suddenly I felt the pull that meant a human was calling me. I smiled, and let it take me where it willed.

When I arrived, I saw a girl who was very beautiful. It was night in the human world, and the moon made her long hair shine a pure white, not darkened by the cold night surrounding it. Reflective tears streaked down her face, and she was on a bridge, standing on one of the rails, about to jump.

"Wait!" I called out to her. She paused, shocked, and the rails beneath her trembled a little. I ran to her, put my arms around her, and lifted her down. She wore a white dress as well, which seemed painfully fitting to the human that seemed untainted by the world's cruel brutality. But then again, she was going to commit suicide, so calling her untainted is a wrong assumption.

In my arms, she turned around, and asked me, tears still running down her face, why I rescued her.

I replied, smiling, "Because I am a demon, here to pull you out of the deepest depths of despair which you seem to have fallen into."

She looked taken back, and she stepped away from me. "Prove it." She accused. I let my true form show out, barely. My eyes turned crimson red, and my teeth razor sharp. She froze, absolutely terrified. She whispered, "What do you want from me?"

I let my true form fade away, and I replied, "I want your soul. In exchange I will fulfill one of your dearest, and most impossible, wishes."

"Dearest, and most impossible…" She said, thinking. I let her think on it, and then said, "Do you really have anything to live for anymore? Surely taking your soul, fulfilling your wish, and dying is better than simply dying?"

She smiled sadly, "Yes." She replied, "It is."

I held out my hand. "Well, what do you say then?"

"Wait. I want to know more about this before jumping into it."

_Well, well, a cautious human. Unusual, especially for one so close to the brink of death._

"It is painfully simple. You give me a wish, I fulfill it. In exchange, you give me your soul, which demons eat. And the mark of our contract is branded, on both you and me. The more obvious the place, the more power it has."

She took a strand of hair and started toying with it. Must be a bad habit. "I agree to it then." She finally said. "My wish is…" She suddenly looked serious. She pointed at me and said, "Make me fall in love with you!


	2. Chapter 2

"…"

"…"

"WHAT!" I yelled.

She looked around. "Keep your voice down." She whispered. "And was it really that shocking?"

I replied in an angry whisper. "Yes, yes, it was. No one, and I mean NO ONE, ever asked that of me before."

She smiled and said, "Well, it's good to try new things, isn't it?"

"I'm a demon! Not some lovesick human!"

She tilted her head. "Well, you don't have to fall in love with me, do you? It's just the other way around." She grinned. "I thought that demons could do anything." She teased.

"I just…What? What are talking about? Of course I can make you fall in love with me. It'll be easy. But are you sure this is your wish?" I asked nervously. The truth was, I didn't know whether I could make her love me. _I don't understand human emotions…_ But I needed that soul, and if that was her wish, I would fulfill it, no matter what the cost.

She smiled sadly. "Yes, I'm sure."

"Right then." I answered. "I must leave you with a mark of some sort, a sign of the contract between us."

She tilted her head. "How do you do that?" She questioned.

"Where do you want the mark?" I said, as a way of explanation.

"Hmm.. Ah, I got it. Something poetic, I guess." She began unbuttoning her dress from the back.

"Wait! What are you doing!" I held out my hand in the universal gesture.

"Over my heart. Pervert." She shook her head. "Can you help me with this?" She gestured to her back.

_If demons could blush, I'd be blushing right now._ "Alright." I brushed her long hair out of the way gently, and began to work. "To what extent?" I asked.

"Fifth, I guess." I finished, and gently turned her around. She was kind of tense, and hunched over. _Maybe I could understand_ _why_, but I could still see her underwear.

"White," I commented. She glared at me. "You really are a pervert. Just get on with it." I gently removed her hands, and she blushed. "You are quite flat-chested, aren't you?" I asked, smiling.

She closed her eyes, and her hands clenched into fists. "I would hit you right now if you weren't a demon." She said.

I smiled wider, but pressed my hand against her smooth white skin, right on her heart. A burst of darkness flared out, and she screamed. But it was done, and I could see the distinctive emblem with my star and ring around it. It glowed a faint purple. "Done." I smiled cheerfully. I flexed my hand that contained my own contract emblem, concealed in a black glove.

She lay on the ground, but she looked at me, and said, "Do you have a name?" It seemed like she was adamantly going to refuse to talk about what happened, which was fine by me. She gathered her clothes around her. I knelt on the ground next to her, and began to help her button back her dress while I talked.

I shook my head and answered with, "Demons don't have names, but you can call me anything you want."

"Oh! What about Lucien? And mine's Ivory, by the way."

_Ivory…Like her hair. _"Why Lucien? Isn't that French? That's not very Patriotic for someone that's English." I said.

She looked at me funny, and replied cautiously, "How do you know we're in England?" She shook her head. "And Lucien's my father's name. He was French, but he married my mother, an English noblewoman."

"For your first question, I would know England blindfolded. I've been here for centuries. It's my home, of a sort. At least in the human realm, that is." At this, she shook her head again, and murmured something about not wanting to know. "Continuing on, won't it be hard on your household to have two people with the same name?"

She picked up a strand of hair again, and answered with clear eyes, "My father's dead, as well as my mother, and everyone I knew in this God-damned land."

I was taken back. "I'm…I'm sorry."

She snorted. "Not your fault, is it? And don't be. They've been dead for years."

_Maybe I can understand better why she might commit suicide now. _I thought to myself. i said then to her, "Well, you have a house don't you? Why don't we go now."

She looked over the water, at it's forbidding depths, and smiled. "Yeah, let's."

Some time after that, we arrived at a huge mansion, deep within the recesses of a great forest, probably one of the last standing. It looked very run-down, though probably not that old, due to the fact that I had never seen some of the materials that made it. Though that wasn't saying much; it had been a long time since I'd been in the human realm. But we'd probably walked at least three miles on the forest path alone, and before that there was a huge park. I was a demon, so I wasn't out of breath, but the girl, Ivory, didn't even seem shaken. "Do this a lot?" I asked.

"Well, yes, since this is my house." She replied.

I looked at it more closely. Yes, it could be, for none of the parts were rotting yet, it couldn't have been in disrepair for too long, but there was moss and another plants growing on the sides. It must've taken at least five years or so for that to happen. Just how long has this girl been parentless? I glanced at her sidelong.

"Do you want me to fix it for you?" I asked.

Her eyes widened. "You can do that? That's amazing!" She exclaimed. I smiled secretly. The first way to get a human to like you is admiration, and then I'd figure the rest out on the way. I prepared to use my powers. But then I remembered that in order to clean it up to the fullest, I'd have to bring out my true form. I glanced at Ivory. There was no way she'd fall in love with me after seeing my true form.

_I have to get her out of here, but how? _I figured the simplest way was just to ask her. "Master?" She jumped. "What did you call me?" She questioned.

"Master. I _am_ your butler, after all." I said, smiling.

She grimaced, and asked, "Please, please, don't call me that. I'm Ivory. That's IT."

I smirked. "Yes, MS. Ivory." She shook her head. "You're hopeless." She murmured.

"Anyways, I have a favor to ask. Please leave while I'm restoring the house. If you do look back," I grinned coldly, "It will be gruesome."

She looked scared, but she spoke out anyways, "Why? What are you doing?"

I sighed. "You obviously didn't see my true form. You see, before I spoke to you, I changed into my human form. However, this body you see is not my true one. My true form is…demonic, shall I say? It is not a pleasant sight, and if you want your wish to ever be fulfilled, you must leave here. Immediately."

She looked at me curiously for a second, and said this, "Alright, I'll go. But, you know you can't hide that from me forever."

I blinked. "And why not?" I questioned.

She smiled and laughed, startling me. "Well, because!"

I smiled wryly. "So you have no reason, huh."

She turned back into the forest, but waved a single hand without turning around, signaling me.

I laughed. "A bit farther, please?"

She sighed, but obeyed, walking until I couldn't see her anymore. I breathed a sigh of relief. It was going to be a difficult road in front of me. I was already exhausted. I guess I'd become accustomed to humans that were too scared of me to be so… _annoying. _I smiled. It was also going to fun. I licked my lips hungrily. I loved games, and this one was going to one of the hardest I'd ever encountered. _What was she thinking, asking a demon to fulfill such a wish? _But maybe it would teach me more about humans. They might be more easy to trick if I could make them fall in love.

I looked at the house towering into the sky. I had no time to muse about such things. I rolled up my sleeves. "Time to work!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Butler, Working

After I had finished the outside of the house, which included having to obliterate all of the plants on the house, plus having to clean up the gardens and add touches like flowers, I checked my watch. I sighed after seeing it. "Damn…It took five minutes to do this much? It will take forever for the rest." but I slaved on. What kind of a butler would I be if I couldn't finish the house by tonight. _Or, _I thought as I watched the sky, _at least by bedtime, as it's already night._

I stepped past the threshold and looked around. It was better in here. It looked like the girl had at least _tried _to do something about it, though it was very grungy and musky. I held my hand to my nose. For a human, I doubt it would've been the bad, but for a demon with a largely increased sense of smell, I could barely stand to be inside. _That goes first,_ I thought.

But the house itself wasn't that bad. It would have been magnificent if it wasn't so run down. The front room was built like a ballroom, with a main floor, and two giant staircases leading to the same place, a large hallway. In the middle of the hallway was a picture, one of a family. There was a little girl and an older brother, sitting down, and two parents, standing, all smiling happily. The father's hand rested on the boy's shoulder, and the mother hugged the father. The only person that looked slightly out of place was the girl. Even though she was smiling, her small hands lay in fists on her lap.

They were wearing noble clothes, and due to such, I assumed it was the girl's family. _I wonder…How did such a happy looking family fall apart so easily? And why did the girl look so out of place? _I knew there was something that girl wasn't telling me, but I had no interest in such things. _I only do my duty, nothing more, nothing less._ _But enough with the philosophizing,_ I told myself.

I lifted my hand into the air and took a deep breath. I closed my eyes and let my power seethe. Once I had thought I gained enough, I opened my eyes, and brushed my hand through the air. It cleared immediately, and the cloth on the stairs, the walls, and the tile of the floor began to clean themselves. The grayish cloth surrounding the picture began to turn a royal blue, and the walls, a light tan. The tiles were a darker tan, as I saw as the lights began to flicker on. I glanced at the picture again. The girl, the one I had focused on, had bright gold hair, as well as the brightest blue eyes I had ever seen. But my master now, as I remembered, had hair, in the scarce light of the moon, of silver. Or at least not a gold of that shade.

_But no matter, I must continue. _I thought to myself. But as I glanced back at the picture, unable to truly keep my eyes off of it, I really wanted to know why.

As I walked through the mansion, I finished every room, except the one room that smelled the most of that girl. I don't know what kept me from it, but I left it alone until everything else was done. But now I stood in front of the door. I had to go in, no matter what. I opened the door, and peeked inside. It looked old, but not as dirty as the others. But other than that, there was no notable thing about it. Which was the odd thing. There was a bed, and a wardrobe, and a writing desk, but there was no personal ornaments of any kind. No dolls, no toys, nothing. It was very plain. And it was small too, smaller than any of the other rooms in the house. _That girl is a mystery._

The only thing I did to it was clean the walls and furniture. The rest was fine. The walls were white, as well as the bed. It seemed so blank, so empty of character. It seemed nothing like the girl I'd met today. But it wasn't my place to pry, now was it?

I walked back to the front room, and stepped outside. Then I changed back into my human form, and called out, "Ms. Ivory, it is done!" She arrived, huffing, a few minutes later.

Her eyes widened as she took in her mansion. "Amazing!" She said, her eyes full of wonder. She pushed open the door. "I couldn't believe it if I didn't see it with my own eyes!" She walked forward, and twirled around, trying to see as much as possible. "It's my home! My house…" She smiled, but a tear traced her cheek. I was startled. "Do you not like it?" I asked anxiously.

She looked at me, who was standing in the threshold, and then at the picture on the wall. "Of course I do. But…" She laughed, tears now openly streaming down her face, "It reminds me of memories lost to the will of time. My family. Everything we did together. That's been dead ten years. And now it feels like you've broughten back a ghost, a mere phantom of the life I once lived." She paused, her voice breaking. "It's so lonely."

I felt something stirring within me, but I dampened it. _No, I will NOT have feelings, _it seemed I was telling myself that. But I had to do something to stop that expression on her face. I smiled. She looked shocked, and she said with utter surprise in her voice, "Why are you smiling?"

I thought about it for a moment, and answered, "Because it seemed like it was the last thing on Earth that you would expect from me. And…" I stepped closer to her, enough to see the tears on her eyelashes, and the one's filling her eyes. I took my hand and brushed them away. "You stopped crying, didn't you?"

She laughed shakily. "Yes, yes I did." She closed her eyes and smiled.

_I know that this will help her fall in love with me, and I know that I only did it because of that, but why? Why does my heart hurt so much at that smile? _Of course, I had no answer.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Butler, Cooking

Oh, lol, I forgot to add in a part in the second chapter. Sorry, you might want to check it. Sorry again! Perverted stuff alert for that as well. (I never added in the demon mark -_-)

After the girl had fallen asleep, I lay awake thinking. She'd shown me into a large room, far larger than hers. But I didn't make a comment. I didn't know why she stayed in that tiny room, but I was sure she had a reason. It would be rude to my Master for a mere butler to interfere. _It's quite the puzzle though, isn't it?_ I grinned. I loved puzzles.

I looked around the room. It was quite barren, but the walls were colored in a dark red, and the floor was wood. It looked like a proper place for a demon. The bed was a queen, and the same color as the walls. This wasn't a servant's room. _I'm not sure whether she assumes to vex me, or to be generous. But I'd prefer a servant's room after all. _But she did supply me with a desk, which would be quite good for the paperwork. I'd have to ask her about that tomorrow. And it looked like she didn't have any servants either. I'd have to find some as well.

I sighed. So much work, so little time. _Oh, well, I'll work on it tomorrow._ Even though sleep was a luxury, I did enjoy it in the human world. It would be a waste not to use this chance. I didn't bother undressing, I just took off my shoes. I lay on my side. It had been one of the most interesting days in a while.

Later, when even the sun wasn't awake yet, I opened my eyes and stretched. "Ah~ It was forever ago since I slept so well." I hooked the back on my shoes and put them on. I also slipped on the gloves that covered the Faustian contract mark. I could never be too careful in the human world. I've known humans to appear out of nowhere.

"HEY LUCIEN!" I never heard the door open, but THAT girl stood waving in the hallway. "Ms. Ivory, why are you up so early?"

"I make breakfast every morning." She answered.

I sighed. "No, no, that will not do. You are not only a heiress, but also a young lady. Young ladies most definitely do not cook for their servants."

"But you can't cook, can you?" She questioned.

"Of course I can cook." I snapped.

She looked skeptical and answered with, "I'm keeping my food, and if yours doesn't turn out well, I'm throwing it away and you're never allowed in the kitchen again."

"Fine. It's a deal." I said.

Down in the kitchen, I worked quickly, flipping the pages of a cookbook. I made pancakes, a quick, delicious food, and Earl Grey tea. I laid my work down on the already set table. "You did this?" I accused. It was perfect looking, but there were two spots set out, not one. "There's probably not a guest coming, is there?" I asked.

She laughed. "It's for you!" _Bad, this is bad. Any more, and I'll fall in love with you too._

_"_That's not proper, you know?" I said cautiously.

"So what? I'm the only one here." She waved her arms towards the empty table to prove her point.

"But only if your food tastes better." I resigned myself to my fate.

She sat down. "Bring it forth."

I grinned. "Yes, my lady."

She glared at me. "Is that your new way of addressing me? I think I liked Ms. Ivory better."

I said nothing, but my grin stretched a little bit wider. I laid the plate down, barely making the china clink.

She lifted a fork up and cut the pancake, and put it in her mouth. She chewed for a while, swallowed, got up, lifted up the plate, walked to the trash, and threw it all away.

I glanced at her, shocked. She didn't say a word until she brought her dish from the kitchen, and sat back down. "Sit." I sat. "Eat." I looked at the dish. Souffle. _When exactly did she get up?_

She glared. "EAT!" She commanded.

"Alright, alright. I'll eat." I took a bit of it. And another. And another. _IT'S SO DELICIOUS!_

"This is so good! How did you become so good at cooking?"

She smiled sadly. "I've had to cook alone for a long time."

"Certainly you could have-" I stopped. I had promised to myself I wouldn't. I couldn't. I could not become interested in this girl because that might lead to affection. And I couldn't ever let myself feel affection for a human.

I continued eating as if I'd never said anything. It seemed like that had become my new motto. _Don't become interested, don't ask questions._ But the fact of the matter was, it was really hard to do that.

In order to steer the conversation away from uncomfortable matters, I said lightly, "Why did you throw away the food I cooked?"

She took another bite of food, chewed thoughtfully, and answered with, "It was completely and utterly awful. It looked good, but the taste was…how do say it? Horrible. Just plain horrible."

_Okay, maybe not less uncomfortable waters. More like a stormy, whirlpool-filled sea. _"What are you talking about!"

She shook her head. "Just…just never cook for again, promise?"

I sighed. "A deal is a deal."

She perked up. "I've been meaning to ask; how good is a demon's word?"

I smiled. "Better than an angel's. You see, we'll tell you what we want, we won't hid it. Angels and Shinigamis and whatever else is out there; they'll lure you in with half-truths. But we, demons, won't break our word. Ever. If it's in our gain, for example, a soul, we will never betray our human. Until the bitter end. I may not know why you called me here, or why you asked what you did, but I will never betray you. I swear upon it."

"That sounded like a bunch of fancy nonsense." She said dubiously.

"I'll swear on the moon, if that'll help you trust me."

She waved a hand in the air. "I'm good." She finally broke into a smile.

I looked at her curiously. "For a human that was so close to death that you summoned a demon, you smile an awful lot."

The smile wiped clear off her face. She stood up suddenly, rattling the dishes. She picked up mine as well and walked to the kitchen. _Odd._

She came back, and said this, "I've been very, very lonely, and you cured that. But I'm not happy. Not completely. I'm broken, and not even you can fill that gaps in my heart, my soul."

"Well, it is kind of my problem to fix, seeing as I'm the one eating your soul, am I not correct?"

"Typical demon, huh." She looked at me, scanning my eyes. She turned around, and spoke with her back turned. "I'm going out for a while. I'll be back before dinnertime to start it."

"Wait." She didn't turn back around, but she shuddered slightly. "What about teatime?"

She sighed. "I don't need it, ok?"

"Yes. Yes, my lady."

She didn't even answer to that, but walked away. I watched her leave. I know I tried to dampen the feelings, but it seemed like I'd failed. _I want to know. I WANT TO KNOW._

But the reasonable side of me could never accept that. _I am a demon, not some love-filled human. The only reason I'm here is to eat this girl's soul._ Unfortunately, part of me could never accept that either. _I think there's only one thing that the two sides of me can agree on._ I put my head down on the table. _I'm a complete and utter mess._

Author's note: Maybe something will actually HAPPEN next chapter. Keep your finger's crossed. _ And it seems like there's a lot of smiling sadly. I just like that expression, sorry.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Butler, Employment

Author (Me): Forgive me for my incompetence with English coins. I live in America, so I don't know a lot about it. I had to do some research. XD

Ivory came home at around four in the afternoon. She looked tired; there were dark rings around her eyes. I was cleaning up in the ballroom a bit, and she passed right by it, seeing as it was just to the left of the front room, right next to the left staircase.

"Wait!" I called out. She paused, teetering on the first step.

I walked up to her. She looked away from me, so I couldn't read her expression. _Fine. Be like that. _

"I was wondering," I said lightly, "Do you have any servants, my lady?" From my view point, I still couldn't see her face, but she shook her head.

"I have to find some." I said, mostly to myself, but she answered anyway. "You can't!" She finally turned towards me, urgency in her voice. She grasped my arm tightly.

"And why not?" I asked, bewildered. She looked away again, but didn't relax her grip. I didn't bother telling her that I could have broken her hold in a second; she knew. _But still…It is a very nice feeling isn't it?_ I thought as some of her warmth leaked into my cold demon body. I could hear her heart pounding through her grip, and it made me smile. It was _her. _I mean, it wasn't actually her, but it was warm and stubborn, by pumping through it's short life crazily.

_Sometimes I wish I was human. They are an interesting lot, to say the least,_ I thought as I glanced at the human next to me. I'd never felt this way about any of the other humans I'd served. But I didn't ask the most important question. _I don't think I can. _

She finally jerked me out of my stupor that I'd fallen into idiotically by saying, "Nothing." _I really shouldn't think about such things, _I made a mental note to myself. "Go head."

I tipped my head to one side, craning to better see her expression. But she broke into a smile, and giggled when she saw me. "You look ridiculous!"

I felt heat flush my face. _Wait, what?_ I felt my face cautiously. It was hot to the touch. _No way! I'M BLUSHING!_ I turned around, unable to believe it. Demons don't blush. EVER. But I was. I glanced back at Ivory. She was looking at me curiously, wondering what was wrong.

I cleared my throat. "Right, well, I'm going now." I tried to leave as soon as possible to avoid as much embarrassment as possible.

"Hold on!" She commanded. I didn't feel myself being pulled towards her, but suddenly her face was right in front of me, her forehead on mine. The only place I could look was her lips, so close to my own. I stood very still, barely breathing. She finally let go of me, and smiled up at me. "Well, it doesn't seem like you have a fever." She said. I sighed and asked, "Why did you do that?"

She put a hand to her mouth, as if to cover her smile secretly, but it did little to conceal it. "What if I just wanted to unnerve you a bit?" She teased.

I sighed. "My lady, you seem to forget that I am merely your butler."

She looked down and picked up a piece of her hair and began playing with it before answering with, "But what if you're not a mere butler?" She looked up at that moment.

I exhaled loudly. _I can't deal with this._ And like the coward I truly was, I left her standing there on the stairs and walked, albeit quite fast, out the door. I may be fearless in battle, and have the strength of a hundred humans, but I was weak when it came to emotions. I couldn't answer, because if I did, the answer wouldn't be no.

I breathed in the cold, crisp air. It was still summer, but it was early September and it was beginning to get colder. _I wonder when Ivory's birthday is. _I shook my head. Why was that thought there? Soon all the flowers would die. I smiled. Whenever I came to the human world, I was always reminded by how much humans were like flowers. Delicate and weak, short-lived, but they will hang on until they can't live any longer. And they'll always come back. _Can't run out of both. There'll always be flowers, and they'll always be humans._

I continued along the path, until I came back to the place I first met Ivory. It had only been a day, a mere second in a demon's lifetime especially, but so many things have changed. _Except they haven't changed at all. _There are facts in the world that can't be changed. And, no matter what I feel towards that girl, Ivory, of which feelings I'm not even sure of, I _will_ take her soul. I'll kill her. Because I'm a demon, and that's what demons do.

I knew where to look for servants. In fact, it was easy to find as well. The slums of London. Since Ivory lived relatively close to London, on the outskirts, It only took me fifteen minutes to get there. _Though I suppose it will be rather hard to transport the servants like a demon, seeing as I probably don't want them to know I am one. I'll have to rent a carriage. _I sighed and checked my pockets. Nothing, not even a farthing. _Looks like I'll have to threaten someone…_ Maybe the process of being actually cold and cruel like demons are supposed to be will bring me back to my senses.

_Going through the slums will be fun too. _I showed my teeth in a predatory grin. I knew the feeling I was getting well. It was bloodlust. I wanted to kill people. Whether that was a good thing or not was not to be determined by me.

"What are ya doing, standin' in that street like that, ya prissy bastard!" A drunken man stood in way. _Getting closer._

"Get out of my way and I won't hurt you." I said calmly.

"Righ', Righ'." He tried to hit me. I stepped back, and then forward again, grabbing his arm and breaking it in the process in one swift motion. He screamed, and lay on the ground rolling in agony, but no one paid him any attention. I was in the bowels of London now, and there wasn't any pity for the weak.

I knew where to start relatively. I wanted to find someone completely and utterly miserable, so much so that they would jump at any chance to leave their current life. _Perhaps the brothels? Certainly there should be a lot of miserable people there. _But I was in luck. I felt a wave of despair of the acuteness kind enter my senses. Indeed, it came from a brothel house. I walked in. The women there all giggled and shoved each other when they saw me.

I overheard one of them. "Whose's the lucky woman that gets that handsome guy?" Her friend, I assumed, answered in a fake whisper, "Hopefully not you!" They fell into a chorus of giggles. I almost answered them, annoyed, but I doubted a normal human could have heard them, even though they made such a racket.

But there was one woman that wasn't laughing or smiling. She sat curled up in a corner, staring at nothing. Her face was one of someone that had kept their feelings sealed off their face their entire life, a carefully blank mask. But she was the one I'd felt from outside, and I walked up to her.

The woman that called me handsome whispered harshly to her friend, "That bitch! No way~" Both her and her friend laughed. The entire brothel was silent now, except for the certain activities they are known for, going on in other rooms.

The woman barely glanced up, looking at me with dead eyes. I gave her a smile. "Come with me," I said, "I'll give you a home and a good job."

She laughed gratingly. "As what? A concubine for some rich idiot?"

"No, as a maid." I replied.

Her eyes widened. "Whatever. The name's Fleurette."

I looked again at her, surprised. She had long, curling brown hair, and bright green eyes. She seemed like she could be no more than twenty. "Flower, right?"

She too, looked surprised at this mention. "My family wasn't always poor, but my father lost all his money after he fell out of favor with the king. We lived on the streets, and my entire family died of an illness, I'm still not of sure what. I have worked here," She gestured with her arms, sweeping them across the dirty, ragged, room, "Since I was 14, since when they died. Four years, it's been. But the people of the slums hate me because I'm different, and was purebred." She finished, trembling.

"Quit this job," I replied. "My Mistress is a young lady with no servants except me, a butler. She needs someone to the clean the house, for she can not do it alone, and I have quite a bit of other work as well."

She mulled it over, and answered, "Fine, I'll go. But if you're lying, I'll cut your throat." I snorted, unable to suppress my amusement. She glared at me. "I've been trained in knife-fighting for ten years. Don't try your luck." She looked back at the apparent owner of the establishment and smirked. "Goodbye, everyone. Have a horrible life without me." With that, she walked out.

I bowed, and left as well, leaving everyone in the room openmouthed. "Are you sure that's okay?" I asked Fleurette after we were in the street. She wore a dark expression, and answered with, "You didn't have to fill out an official form, you just signed up, and if you were pretty enough, you got in. And they didn't take children. But if I leave now, they'll find a replacement soon enough. So…Where are we going now? Better not have lied to me." She threatened.

"No, I didn't, but we have to find one more person before we go." I said distractedly. I had felt another presence that might work.

"Great. Just great. Who is it?" She asked.

"I have no idea."

She rubbed her head. "You sure are a different man, aren't you?"

I didn't answer. _There!_ _I found him! _It was a man in a dark brown trench coat, with a bowler cap low over his eyes. He walked dejectedly, and people avoided him unconsciously. I couldn't see much of his features, except his dark brown hair, medium length.

I spoke urgently to Fleurette, "That's the man we're looking for." I started walking towards him.

She raised her eyebrows and looked skeptical, "Him? He doesn't look like much." But she followed me anyways.

"Hello." I said to the man, and stepped in front of him, so he couldn't escape.

He looked at me coldly, and replied as coldly as his look. "What do you want?"

"Sir, I'd like you to become the footman for my ladyship." I said.

"Footman? You wouldn't want me," He said dryly, "I have no hand." From inside his coat pocket he withdrew a curved hook, attached to the stump of a hand. "Horrible accident. Lost a hand to a machine in a factory that I worked in. They fired me, and I've been in the slums ever since. So a footman that can't really do anything at all is useless."

"What if I said that I still wanted you to come and work." I said to him.

"You're crazy. Absolutely insane." He grinned, and suddenly he didn't look so old after all. "But I'll do it. A man has to do at least a few crazy things before he dies, right?"

"Or a woman." Remarked Fleurette. "Is this my new Mistress?" He questioned, looking her over. "Looks like a prostitute to me. Those clothes…"

I held out my arm to stop Fleurette from beating him up. "No, this is the new maid."

"Hmm…" He thought for a moment. "If the employees are this weird, what's the Mistress like?" He asked expectantly.

"Wait and see." I replied. "Anyways, speaking of that, we have to go. the Mistress's waiting. And…" I looked at them both seriously. "Do you people have any money?"

"NO." They both said together, looked at each other, and turned away again. "What's your name, footman?" I asked offhandedly. He looked at me and answered. "Um..Call me…Carroll. I think I should have a proper name now that I'm officially a noble's footman."

"Carroll, find me a carriage." I asked politely.

"Wait but-" I stopped him in the middle of his sentence. "No excuses! You are a footman, and should serve whoever is higher up, no matter what the order it is! That is the meaning of servitude!"

"Right away sir!" He scrambled away as fast as he could.

I turned to face Fleurette. She was grinning. "That got him off his arse, didn't it? Good job."

I rubbed my head tiredly. "Please. No vulgarity. Aren't you a lady?" I pleaded.

Her cheeks turned a bright pink, and she murmured, "I'd never thought I'd agree with those women about anything." I was going to ask her what she meant, but Carroll waved at me from an alley doorway. He spoke in my ear, "Since it seemed like you had no money, I hooked you up with one of my friends. They ask me to tell you that they need to know where to go before they can take us there, because I couldn't give them the answer."

"I'll talk to him." I said. At the end of the hallway there was a man dressed in black, wearing a mask and cape. His carriage and horses, of which he was holding the reins of, were black as well. He looked foreboding, but when he saw Carroll, he jumped up and hugged him. Carroll tried to struggle out of his hold, but failed. "Jesus Kuro, I've been gone a minute." He said.

Kuro responded lightly, "I don't care," And snuggled deeper into Carroll's chest. Carroll suddenly remembered we were there, and tried to clear it up, "Um…It's not what it looks like. I like women. a lot. I'm not homo. Seriously."

"Right, right." Said Fleurette, shaking with silent laughter. Even I broke into a smile. "Kuro's just…different." Carroll reached for the mask. Inside the mask was a girl's face, with black hair, but laughing blue eyes. Carroll patted his her head lightly. "She's basically like a little sister to me."

I glanced at Fleurette's face, which seemed to be as shocked as I felt. "How is she so tall?" I asked. "Stilts." Kuro said. "And what's your name from? It's not English."

"Ah, that's because I'm half-Japanese. My real name is Sparrow, but kuro means black in Japanese, and I like it better for obvious reasons. I mean, who'd want to be called Sparrow?"

"Is this girl trustworthy?" I asked Carroll. "I'd trust her with my life." He responded.

"Can you get me to…" Ivory never told me her surname, but I remembered it from somewhere… _Ah, right._ I'd seen it engraved over the mantelpiece of the fireplace when I was cleaning the mansion. _Monette._

"The Monette Mansion. Do you know where it is?" I asked. She chewed her lip. "Yes, I do…"

"But you won't take me there." I answered for her. "I will." She replied, "But beware. The spirits of the dead are still lurking around such a place." I didn't question her, nor did I want to.

We sat in silence in the carriage. I watched the hills, and wished it would go faster. Fleurette chewed her thumb, and Carroll polished his hook for the tenth time.

"Halt!" Kuro called to the horses. We climbed out of the carriage, and she said. "This is as far as I go. I assume you know your way from here?" She asked me. I recognized the park from which I'd met Ivory. "Yes, thank you. I am in your debt."

She watched us as we started our long journey in the woods, and said, "Be careful, and be safe." Soon the carriage faded from sight. Something seemed off about her. She couldn't have been a demon or shinigami, I could've told that from the eyes, but she was no normal human either.

We traveled through the woods, on the path that had been used so many times by Ivory that it had become a dirt trail instead. "Ouch." Fleurette commented more than once, tripping on roots, or rubbing her feet tiredly.

"You're going to have to get used to this, since this is were the mansion is." I said to her as we approached the mansion."

"Wonderful. I hate walking." She complained.

"Quit your bickering." Carroll remarked.

The candles in the window were lighted, and it looked quite cheerful. I checked my watch. It was six, right on the dot. Even though I didn't eat human food, I found myself licking my lips in hunger. Even a demon would want Ivory's cooking. _And I'm sure these newcomers want some as well,_ I thought as I glanced at the strange people around me.

Ivory was waiting outside, surprisingly. Astonishingly, she didn't seem to register the fact that there were other people with me, and said to me, "Lucien, you've been gone forever! Where- oh. There's people."

"Servants, my lady." I bowed. She blinked. Twice. And said to them, "Nice to meet you." Then turned towards me.

"You are…" She said in wonder. She grinned. "I shouldn't have expected any less, right?"

She turned back to the servants and smiled. "Welcome to my humble home! I sense it's going to be a bit different from now on."

_Isn't that the truth,_ I thought, smiling myself, as I watched them. _Isn't that the truth._

Note: This one's…long. o_o Fleurette means flower, for those of you who don't know. New characters, yay! I worked hard to finish this one today


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Butler, Sleeping

Note: I had no idea what to call this chapter, as it was just kind of a cute one I wanted to put in before I made the one that reveals Ivory's past. Thank you for reading this story, I never thought anyone would like it so I'm really happy. It's really fun to be writing so much. I have a feeling Sebastian would murder me if he ever read this though. -_- I made him too cute, so I think he'd hate my guts for that...

"I made vegetable stew for dinner." Ivory said as she walked towards the dining room, with everyone in tow. I grimaced. _Stew? What kind of a person does she think she is? She is an heiress, not some backcountry wench. _

She saw my expression and laughed. "What a snob you are, Lucien." She teased.

"You are a lady." I replied earnestly.

She shot back stubbornly, "I don't care. Just because you're here now, I don't have suddenly become a _lady._"

I sighed. "Don't be stubborn, Ivory." I said tiredly.

Her eyes widened, and she stopped walking. Carroll and Fleurette watched the both us, their eyes darting to us and then to each other. Ivory licked her lips, as if they were dry, and said quietly, "What did you call me?"

I was shocked. _Why did I say that! _"Let's keep going, our food will get cold." I commented, though my mind was in an uproar. _What will she think? Will she realize…What realize what? WHAT WILL SHE REALIZE!_ _I mean I don't feel everything for her or anything like that. _I rubbed my temples.

She continued walking, but she had her secret smile on again. _Great… _I thought. _She might think that… that I've fallen for her_. _I mean that's impossible and all, but… I just don't want her to think that._

After an uncomfortable silence, we reached the dining hall. She opened the door and shooed everyone in, including me. She blushed after looking at the table. "I didn't know about the extra people, but I have some stew left over. I think it will be enough." There were only two places set, right next to each other. I kind of understood her embarrassment. Of course she shouldn't want it to be known that she eats with her butler.

She left for the kitchen. The three of us sat down awkwardly. Carroll leaned back in his chair and tilted it. "I think I know what kind of a master she is now." He said.

I was curious, so I asked, "What do you mean?"

He snorted, but it wasn't one of amusement. "She's a kind one. Those aren't often, are they? So it makes her weird." I thought about that for a second. I didn't really understand kindness, but I didn't think that Ivory fit into that category. _But… _I thought about everything she did to make me feel more comfortable. _She gave me a nice room, far bigger than hers, she let me sit with her whenever we dined, she was never cold to me, and I'm going to kill her. _And I thought about her smile, and how warm it is. _Maybe he's right after all._

She brought out the dishes. "It's really embarrassing that I couldn't prepare anything for you beforehand. I'm really sorry, you might not have enough to eat. If only SOMEONE had warned me before he set out, I could have gotten you something more." _Ah, that's why she was embarrassed. _I smiled. She was weird. _But…_ I thought as I gazed at her smiling happily at the people I'd broughten back, _Maybe that isn't such a bad thing._

After supper, which actually was quite delicious, even for me, it was my duty before I slept to train the new recruits. Or, in this case, two people who had never picked up a broom in their entire life. "Fleurette! That is not how you hold that!" I called out. "Carroll, that is shoe polish, not window cleaner!"

I'd taken them into the supply closet in order to see what they knew. Apparently, it was nothing. Ivory had already retired for the night, so that was one less thing to worry about. _But._ I thought as a vein popped in my forehead, _This two are quite enough to worry about._ "Come on, is it that hard?" I asked as they sat panting after only fifteen minutes of my teachings. _How pathetic._

"You're a slave driver!" Fleurette complained, "A spartan!"

Carroll pitched in, "A demon!"

I grinned. "Yes, yes, I am. Now get back to work!"

They both sighed at the same time. This time, they didn't glare at each other. _Maybe they're too tired._ I thought. I didn't get human grudges. Yes, Fleurette was a prostitute. Why did she hate Carroll she much for saying she looked like one. _But how could I understand? I'm a demon, after all._

"Wait." I told them. "Go get some sleep. We'll work tomorrow." They perked up. "Thank you, Lucien!" Fleurette told me.

"Do you remember where your rooms are?" I asked. Ivory had shown them after dinner, but it had been quick, and I wasn't sure how long a human's memory lasted.

Fleurette nodded, and Carroll replied with, "Yea, I remember."

"Good." I nodded sharply to them. I wasn't sure why I took pity on them, but I thought had something to do with a certain silver-haired, blue-eyed young woman. That showed up moments later, clad in only a nightgown. "Lucien?" She questioned.

"My lady? Why are you here?" She pouted, but I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of saying her name again.

"I couldn't sleep, and demons can't sleep anyways, right?" The way she asked it, it wasn't a question.

"No that's-" I tried to say, but she ignored me, and went on, "I wanted to see you, too. I never got to talk to you like I wanted to today."

"What did you want to talk about," I asked curiously.

"Hmm…Let's sit down first." She took my hand, the one that didn't have the demon mark, and guided me to a couch in the other room. "I wanted to ask about the demon world." She continued.

I had thought about telling her about the world I lived in. But it would have terrified her, and I couldn't fulfill her wish like that. "I can't." I answered her, looking down.

"And why not?" She cried. "Because, if I did, then you wouldn't even want to be near me, let alone falling in love with me!" I turned to face her, looking into her eyes. She looked frightened, but determined. "I can't…" I finished lamely.

She shook her head. "I don't care."

I laughed without humor. "You would after I told you some of the things I've done. And," I cut over her reply, "You've never told me anything about yourself, so why would i tell you about me?"

That was the right thing to say. She looked stricken, and her gaze dropped to her lap. "I can't tell you…about that either." I sighed in relief. If she'd ordered, I would have had to do it, but she wouldn't press me like this.

"Why don't why talk about something else instead." I smiled evilly."Your studies."

She shook her head quickly. "No, that's ok."

"Oh, really? Starting tomorrow I'm teaching you."

This scared her even more than a demon could've. "Do you have a problem with that?" I asked fake-kindly.

"Well…I'm good at English. I love reading. And I like History, Science, and Mathematics too. I learned some from my old governess, and I found the rest in books. I love music." Her eyes brightened, "Piano is my forte, but I'm okay at violin. But…" Her face darkened again, "You can not make go through that torture called finery. Dancing, embroidering, all those ladylike qualities," Her face twisted, "I hate them. I'm the worst at them."

I laughed. "And what, you're going to tell me that you're good at fencing and horse riding too."

"The joke's on you." She laughed too. "I'm quite good."

I stared. "That's not very ladylike." I said accusingly.

"Yeah," She smiled, "I know. But I wasn't the heiress, like you seem to think I am. I had a brother."

"But he looked younger than you in the hallway portrait." I replied.

She suddenly stopped smiling. "He was."

We stopped talking for a while. I waited for her to say something; maybe she was doing the same. But suddenly I felt a soft pressure on my arm. I looked down, surprised, and she was laying against me, entirely asleep. Her face was so pretty, and I watched her.

"Idiot girl." I said quietly, and waited for the sun to rise, for certainly it would bring a slap in the face from the girl now innocently sleeping. I smiled. All I had to do was wait.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Butler, Flowers

Indeed, when Ivory awoke, she slapped me straight across the face. But it was worth it to see her blushing fiercely, her face a mixture of intense embarrassment as well as anger.

"Why didn't you wake me up!?" She cried. "You pervert, you were probably looking at my sleeping face the entire night!"

I thought about lying, but I decided it would be more amusing to tell the truth. "Yeah, I was." I smiled at her.

"Idiot…" She said, looking away.

"Aren't you the one who fell asleep in the company of a demon?" I asked.

She turned back to me, and looked into my eyes seriously. "You wouldn't hurt me though."

I was shocked. Was she really more of an idiot than I expected? "I could." _And would._

She shook her head. "You won't though." She smiled up at me. "You're too nice."

_I believe that's the first time anyone's EVER called me kind. ME kind?! What the HELL is wrong with this girl? _I looked at her incredulously. "I…won't ask…"

She grinned. "Good."

"But we're going to go study now!" I exclaimed, smiling at her sudden drop of excitement. She sighed and asked, "What's first?"

I answered with, "First is the rudimentary basics. Mathematics, World History, Literature, and Science. Then ballroom dancing, and sewing."

She began to laugh. "You know how to sew?!"

"It's not funny. Every butler needs to know at least the basics of it." I declared stiffly.

"Right, right." She stopped smiling as if she realized something horrific. "Wait, please tell me you're not teaching me all of these things!"

I tilted my head. "Why?" I questioned.

"I overheard Fleurette and Carroll talking. They said you're a _demon_ when you teach things. Forgive me for the irony."

I grinned. "It's completely and utterly true."

"Damn…I'll have to begin planning my escape now." She said, not completely joking, as I could tell from her expression.

I bared my teeth. "I'll be watching you the entire day. And now…" I checked my pocket watch, "It's eight in the morning. I'll watch you make breakfast."

She sighed. "Fine. Whatever." I followed her into the kitchen. As I watched her get different ingredients, I asked curiously, "Why are you so good at cooking when you're supposedly horrible at housework?"

She didn't look away from her work, but responded with, "My mother was really good at cooking, and I inherited it partly from her, plus she'd always make me help with dinner and stuff. We had a cook, but Mother would always butt in." She smiled, lost in memories.

"_How did they die?" _The question was on the tip of my tongue, but I refrained from saying it. I sensed that if I asked any farther, I wouldn't be able to escape the deep chasm that had become my feelings.

"What are you making?" I asked instead.

"Umm…" She woke up from her daze. "Ah, yes. Pancakes." She said.

I tilted my head. "Pancakes?"

She nodded sagely. "Yes. Pancakes."

Indeed, they were pancakes, with strawberry filling inside, and butter on the top. They were also delicious. I licked my lips.

Carroll and Fleurette had come down some time after Ivory began cooking. They sat at the table now. "Too…Delicious." Carroll groaned. Ivory laughed at him. _It was times like these I enjoyed human company._ I thought as i watched them. You got such a warm feeling from watching them. _But then it shatters. Like it always does._ I sighed. I knew that it wouldn't last forever, I wasn't that foolish.

Ivory pushed back her chair from the table and stood up. "I'm going to go relax for a while." She said. She sauntered out of the room and I heard the door slam a few minutes later.

"I'm going too." I said to the servants.

"Where are you going?" Fleurette asked.

I grinned. "I don't know yet." I walked out the room and opened the door to the cool, fresh air. I breathed in deeply.

I knew I shouldn't follow Ivory, but something within me told me to go. I started walking towards where I smelled her the most. I sniffed the air again. She had been going here for a long time, for it was layer upon of layer of her scent. I also caught the scent of flowers, roses.

I kept going, There was a winding dirt path I kept along. I saw fresh footprints. She must've just been here, and I could swear this was where she disappeared too before. I saw her figure in the distance. I kept walking, faster and faster. I finally broke into a run, and arrived at the place.

There she was. She stood in a field, and I mean a complete field, of white roses. There was an a little glen between the trees, and a garden was planted there. In the middle was an old oak. Ivory didn't see me, apparently. She seemed lost in thought, and her back was turned towards me.

I studied her. On her legs, where the dress didn't cover her, she was covered in small cuts and scars. It seemed like the roses had thorns then. She looked beautiful then, so perfect, her hair the same color as the roses themselves waving gently in the wind.

"Mistr- Ivory!" I shouted.

She turned around, shocked. A rose dropped from her hand, covered in blood, from where she had been holding it tightly. Her face was streaked with tears.

"Ivory." I said gently.

"Lucien, what are you doing here?" She seemed bewildered.

I walked through the thorns, not caring that my trousers got throughly ripped, and must've gotten a dozen cuts, to her.

"I'm here because I'm an idiot." I said genuinely truthful. Even though she was crying, she managed a laugh. I kept talking. "I want…to know what happened to your parents…" _There it was. I said it._

Her face slackened in shock. She seemed genuinely surprised. "Why?"

To that I couldn't begin to even form an answer.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Butler, Findings

I blanched, my face turning a slight, rosy pink. My complexion was too fair to flush entirely, but I could see that Ivory realized that I was blushing. She looked entirely confused, tears still wet, eyes not yet dry. "Are you…Okay?" She asked with concern in her eyes. _Of course she'd be worried about me._

_No, no I was not. _"Yes, Mistress, of course I am."

She shook her head, and replied, "For once, I thought you finally going to fulfill my _true _request." She teased, but my expression must have changed, because she immediately frowned upon seeing the sadness written across my brow. I knew what her real final request was, and yet I dreaded it more than I could've ever imagined.

I was…going to kill her. I had to. But there was no way in Hell I was happy about it.

"But, really, why do you want to know about my parents? They are completely arbitrary compared to a demon like you." She recalled the subject matter at hand.

I didn't want it to, but the words that she said pierced my non-existent heart. A _demon_ like _you. _How ridiculous could I get? I was a demon. That was complete and utter fact. But why did it hurt so much when she said it like that? I didn't understand these feelings. I didn't sign up for them. But maybe, just maybe, when I saw her standing there, preparing to die, I had already realized that my life was going to change, but I didn't know whether it was for the good or the bad. I can say now that I still don't know exactly.

"I _want_ to know what it is like for you, as a human. Someone that had parents, someone that lived like a human should." I said with conviction in my manner, standing straight, clenching my shaking fists behind my back so that she couldn't see. So that she couldn't see my humanity.

She seemed to want to ask more, but something in my eyes must've told her that I couldn't tell her anything else. She sighed, looking away from me, towards the white roses that held some mysterious secret to her past, one that I wished I could unlock and lock up tight so that no one could hurt her at the time. And I knew that for certain, by asking such an impertinent question to my mistress, that I was hurting her. And I couldn't even kill the one doing it.

"My mother was a beautiful woman. She was beloved by many, as well as dutifully hated by others. She was a noblewoman; some even said that she descended from a line that consorted with the British crown. But she wasn't like that. She was very kind, and my father, when coming to England, fell in love with her at once. Her name was Marie, Marie Anne Thomas. She wasn't taken with him at first, because he was French and quite eccentric, but eventually he wooed for over and married her."

She paused, and exhaled. "Sorry," She said, looking uncomfortable. The next part of the story must've been quite painful for her, so I let her rest without comment. She glanced at me, and an emotion I couldn't name passed through her eyes. But it did pass, and her expression became emotionless again. She continued drily, with a monotone voice clear of anything. "They had me. I was born in the summer of 1819, a happy baby girl. And for a time, they were happy. I was normal as can be; selfish and demanding at times, as can be expected from a rich child."

She rubbed her face tiredly, like the story was leeching the life out of her. Looking back, it might have been. "But then, things went wrong. When I was eleven, they made a bad deal, with some people that they couldn't pay back. These men hired someone, someone who need the money, someone that needed it for a very specific reason."

Her eyes glazed over, and she looked like she was going to cry. "You know," She said breathily, "the reason why I was going to kill myself?"

I stood motionless, unable to say anything, because I simply didn't know what to say.

Her voice shook, "It wasn't because of my parents. They had been killed long ago, though not because of a fire or a carriage accident." She put trembling fingers to her lips. "No, not because of that. It was because they were murdered, Lucien, and you know who murdered them?" She began to laugh, though she sounded like she was about to cry.

I shook my head, though I had a vacant, blurry understanding of what it might be. "It was the person I loved, Lucien, and my dear fiance, and you know what I did with him?"

i began to tremble too, and I realized that everything was about to change.


End file.
